Altes asked Gustav whether Sophie could fulfill the important duty of the human race’s Saintess.
Gustav was pondering the matter as well.
“Your Majesty, it has already been eighteen years since the previous Saintess Sylvia passed away,” Altes reminded him. “Now that Demon King Ville has resurrected, our human world is about to face tremendous changes. It is even very possible that war between the human race and the demonkin will break out once more. The position of Saintess cannot remain vacant any longer.”
“Pope, what you say makes a lot of sense.”
Gustav thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
From a bloodline perspective, Sophie had inherited Sylvia’s exceptional talent, so there was no issue with her as a successor. Moreover, she had just demonstrated the kind of miracle only a Saintess could perform and had already reached the Transcendent tier.
That alone was enough to leave every other saintess candidate far behind.
He had also heard about the Demon King matter.
Having a Saintess take office would help stabilize public sentiment to a certain extent.
Still, the recent incident in Kado City had damaged the Holy Land’s credibility among the people. Announcing Sophie as Sylvia’s official successor right now would probably invite some criticism.
“Your Majesty, your concern is not without reason,” Altes said, his smile growing even more enigmatic. “There are many ways to guide public opinion if we want Sophie to succeed, aren’t there?”
“Pope, you mean…?”
“We can simply have Sophie demonstrate her miracles publicly before the people, proving her capability to the world. The populace will naturally change their views and forget about the Kado City incident.”
Altes did not spell it out too clearly.
But Gustav quickly understood what the kindly Pope intended to do.
“Sophie, what do you think?”
Gustav turned to the red-haired girl.
He needed to know the attitude of this Saintess who had already been chosen by the Holy Land.
“Your Majesty, I am willing to give everything for the human race.”
Sophie bowed and saluted Gustav, her tone sincere. “You and His Holiness the Pope are the most vital leaders of our human race. If the two of you join hands, you will surely guide our people onto the correct path for the future. I already swore at my mother’s grave that I would become a devoted servant of humanity. I will cast aside any unnecessary thoughts. If needed, I will act according to orders.”
“…Very good.”
Gustav was extremely satisfied.
When it came to obedience, Sophie was far superior to Sylvia, who had refused to be controlled.
A Saintess did not need to be perfect, but she did need to be obedient and easy to direct. Sophie clearly possessed those qualities.
Even when the Holy Land planned to use certain methods, Sophie showed no obvious resistance—she was actively cooperative.
“In that case, the imperial family of the Saint Luo Empire will also support you in becoming the Saintess. Sophie, I look forward to your future performance.”
“Thank you for your approval, Your Majesty.”
“Perform well. Do not repeat your mother’s mistakes. We do not wish to see that happen a second time.”
Sophie’s hand trembled slightly. She closed her eyes, then opened them again after lifting her head. There was not a trace of hesitation in her gaze.
“Your Majesty, I will definitely surpass my mother and become the new Perfect Saintess.”
Under the escort of soldiers, Gustav was leaving the Holy Land.
“Sophie has grown very quickly. She matured a great deal in a short time. Pope, did you use any special methods?” Gustav asked curiously.
“Nothing special, Your Majesty. Many people’s growth happens overnight,” Altes replied as he accompanied the emperor.
“By the way, what about the other defective product? She’s no longer following Sophie?”
Gustav suddenly remembered Via.
When he had met Sophie today, he had not seen Via at her side.
“Your Majesty, if you are asking about Via, she has already given up her position as a saintess candidate and returned to the countryside. She has left the Holy Land.”
“Oh?” Gustav was somewhat surprised. “She won’t be coming back?”
“She will never return. The Holy Land will have nothing to do with her from now on,” Altes answered firmly. “We have already arranged the rest of her life. As Sylvia’s daughter, she will be able to live a peaceful, worry-free existence with all her needs met.”
“That’s good,” Gustav said, satisfied with the answer. “The air in the Holy Land has finally become a lot cleaner.”
“Pope, haven’t we still not found Via yet?”
The trusted aide who had been following Altes overheard the conversation between the emperor and the Pope and could not help feeling puzzled.
“Is it really alright to tell the emperor that?”
“It’s fine. Via should not be returning in the future,” Altes said calmly. “There is no need to tell Sophie. One day she will understand our good intentions.”
Altes had not revealed the truth about Via to anyone else.
He had already made his decision in his heart:
Even if Via realized her mistake and returned to the Holy Land, the sacred Holy Land could never tolerate such an impure heretic.
If the opportunity arose later, they would simply eliminate Via and pin the entire blame on Demon King Ville.
That way, Sophie would definitely be driven by hatred and loathe the demonkin and the Demon King to the death.
Everything was for the rise of humanity on the Theia Continent.
“Sophie!”
Sophie, who was walking through the Holy Land, heard someone calling her name and turned her head.
She saw Nana running up to her with a bright greeting.
“Good morning~!”
“Good morning, Nana.”
Sophie glanced at the sky and noticed it had already grown dark.
She did not point it out and simply replied.
“I heard from Archbishop Belon that you broke through to the Transcendent tier! Congratulations! It looks like the rest of us won’t need to stay as saintess candidates anymore. You’ll become the official Saintess very soon!” Nana said with a smile. “Ah, Archbishop Belon keeps praising you. It really makes people envious.”
Envious…
Sophie recalled what the Pope and the emperor had said to her and lowered her gaze.
She used to envy her mother very much—being a Saintess meant being revered and worshipped by everyone, valued by all.
After today, she no longer thought that way.
She too would have to walk this path.
“You agreed?” Nana asked.
“Yes, Nana.”
A perfect smile appeared on Sophie’s face. Her crimson eyes were completely free of any shadow and brimmed with vitality, like the midday sun—or like the Perfect Saintess Sylvia of the past reborn.
“I will live up to everyone’s expectations and become the most perfect Saintess~”